Design SuiteGraphic legend settings

These settings are available in the following locations:

Graphic Legend Preferences dialog box, when creating a new legend object

Graphic Legend Style dialog box, when editing a legend style

Object Info palette, when editing a legend object

If a legend style is selected, only parameters set by instance can be edited (see Concept: Plug-in object styles).

Click to show/hide the parameters.Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter

Description

Use Style

Opens the Resource Selector to select a resource for placement

Convert to Unstyled

If Use Style is currently set to a style, select this option to convert the object to unstyled; the current values are retained, but all parameters are set to By Instance to allow editing

Define Legend Source

Opens a dialog box to specify the objects used to create the legend; see Defining the legend source

Hide empty cells

Shows or hides cells created by objects that meet the source criteria, but have no images (for example, a wall opening that has no door). It's recommended to adjust the source criteria so that the unwanted objects are excluded, if possible.

Define Legend Image

Opens a dialog box to specify how images in the legend display; see Defining the legend image. The preferences dialog box indicates whether this setting is by style or by instance, but it cannot be edited.

Legend Image Classes

Opens a dialog box to set the class properties for images in the legend; see Changing class properties. The preferences dialog box indicates whether this setting is by style or by instance, but it cannot be edited.

Image Scale

Select the scale of the image, or select Custom and enter an Image Custom Scale 

Legend Title

Enter a title for the legend

Display title

Shows or hides the legend title

Title Width

Specify whether to show the title over the first cell, or over the entire legend

Arrange Layout by

Specify whether to arrange the legend cells by column or row

Fixed cell width/height

Select to make all cells in the legend the same width (when arranged by column), or the same height (when arranged by row)

Edit Cell Layout

Opens an editing window to edit the way images display in each cell and add optional static or dynamic text fields; see Editing the cell layout. The preferences dialog box indicates whether this setting is by style or by instance, but it cannot be edited.

Edit Title Layout

Opens an editing window to edit the way the legend title displays; see Editing the title layout. The preferences dialog box indicates whether this setting is by style or by instance, but it cannot be edited.

Object Info palette options only

Style

Replace, edit, or remove the current style, or (for unstyled objects only) create a new plug-in style (see Custom plug-in object styles without catalog options).

Editing a style changes all instances in the file that use the style.

Hide style parameters

Hides the parameters that are set by style; these cannot be edited from the Object Info palette

Recalculate

Updates the legend with the latest data from the drawing; it's recommended to recalculate legends prior to exporting or printing 

Filter by Viewport

Opens a dialog box to limit the legend contents to objects from specific viewports; see Filtering by viewport

Cell Visibility and Sorting

Opens a dialog box to adjust the visibility and sorting of cells in the legend; see Changing the cell visibility and sorting

Defining the legend source

The Define Legend Source dialog box specifies which drawing objects are used to create the legend. The legend can show one or more views of the object, or it can show a specific attribute applied to the object.

Click to show/hide the parameters.Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter

Description

Legend Source

Select the type of object to use for the legend (for example, windows or plants) 

Define Custom Source

Opens the Criteria dialog box to enter custom criteria for selecting the legend source (for example, to specify multiple object types, or to add conditions to refine the selection); see The Criteria dialog box 

Source Criteria

Displays the legend formula specified in the Criteria dialog box

Legend Type

Select whether to show objects or object attributes (for example, textures or pen attributes) in the legend 

Report by

Determines how the selected objects will be presented in the cells; for example, if you report window objects by ID label, the legend will have a cell for each unique window ID label in the drawing. The options available depend on the Legend type selected.

Attribute-based: Select the appropriate attribute

Object-based: Select from the object parameters (for each object type), class name, design layer name, and style or symbol name

Sort by

Select which value to sort the legend cells by; the options available are the same as those for Report by. Also select the cell sort order; to specify a custom sort order, click Cell Visibility and Sorting from the Object Info palette.

Filter by Viewport

Opens a dialog box to limit the legend contents to objects from specific viewports; see Filtering by viewport

Number of cells

Displays the number of cells in the legend, based on the current criteria

Filtering by viewport

The Filter by Viewport dialog box allows you to limit the legend contents to objects from specific viewports; if no viewports are selected, objects from all viewports are included. Click the Use column next to a viewport name to select it.

Changing the cell visibility and sorting

The Cell Visibility and Sorting dialog box allows you to adjust the visibility and sorting of cells in the legend directly. When you click a row, the corresponding cell in the legend is highlighted in red.

Click to show/hide the parameters.Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter

Description

Sort by

Select which value to sort the legend cells by, and then select ascending or descending order. If you re-order the cells using the # column, the setting automatically changes to Custom.

Show

To remove a cell from the legend, click to remove its check mark

#

Click and drag the number in this column to re-order the cells in the legend

Summary Value

Displays the Report by values for each cell in the legend

Defining the legend image

The Define Legend Image dialog box specifies details such as the display mode, scale, view, and dimensions for legend images. You can add multiple images to the cell layout, and then define each image separately.  

Click to show/hide the parameters.Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter

Description

Source Criteria, Report by, and Legend Type

The current settings for the parameters in the Define Legend Source dialog box display

Image to Define

If there are multiple images in the cell layout, specify which image to define

Image Preview

Displays previews of the legend images with the current settings. To preview other images in the legend, click the left or right arrows, or type the image number in the Preview of Cell field.

Image Settings

The settings available depend on the Display Mode selected

Display Mode

Select a display mode appropriate for the legend type and source objects. If the legend objects are incompatible with the display mode, no image preview displays.

For an attribute-based legend, select which type of swatch to display (material, texture, fill, etc.).

For an object-based legend, select from the following:

Hybrid Object Display (symbol and plug-in object legends)

Vertical Wall Display (vertical wall components, for partition legends)

Component Display (horizontal components, for roof, slab, wall, or hardscape legends)

Hardscape Display (top/plan views of hardscapes)

Plant Image Display (images from the plant catalog)

Classes

Opens a dialog box to set the class properties for the image; see Changing class properties

Detail Level

Select the level of detail for the image

View

Select a standard view for the image

Background/Foreground Render

Select the background render mode for the image, along with the Background Render Settings desired. Optionally, select a foreground render mode and specify Foreground Render Settings. These settings work the same way they do in viewports; see Viewport properties.

Preview Image

For plant image display mode, select which type of plant image to display

Auto-dimensions

 

Vertical Dimension/Position

Select None to show no dimension, or select a part of the image to apply a vertical dimension to, and then specify the dimension Position (non-isometric views only)

Horizontal Dimension/Position

Select None to show no dimension, or select a part of the image to apply a horizontal dimension to, and then specify the dimension Position (non-isometric views only)

Dimension Standard

Select a dimension standard 

Dimension Offset

Enter the distance the dimensions will be offset from the image

Dimension Class

Select a class for the dimension objects

Scale

Select a Scale, or select Custom and enter a Custom Scale 

Appearance

 

Fit height to bounds of image in layout

For vertical wall display mode, select to automatically adjust the height of the image to the boundary in the cell layout, or enter the desired Height

Wall Display

For vertical wall display mode, select the portion of the wall to display

Image Size

 

Fit size to bounds of image in layout /
Fit width to bounds of image in layout

For some display modes, select to automatically adjust the height and/or width of the image to the boundary in the cell layout, or enter the desired Height and/or Width

Changing class properties

The Legend Image Class Properties dialog box sets class overrides for a legend image similar to the way class overrides can be set for a sheet layer viewport. See Changing the class properties of sheet layer or design layer viewports.

Editing the cell layout

Edit the cell layout to fine-tune the image display and optionally add text fields and 2D geometry. You can create multiple images in the layout. When you add or rearrange objects in the layout, the cell frame adjusts automatically. The layout must include the frame and at least one image.

Cell layout with two images and a dynamic text field

Select the legend, and from the Object Info palette, click Edit Cell Layout. For a styled legend, see Editing plug-in object styles. The cell layout editing window opens.

Alternatively, right-click the legend and select Edit Cell Layout.

Select the image placeholder to access image editing options in the Object Info palette, including the image width and height, and vertical and horizontal alignment. Click Define Legend Image to adjust the image definition (see Defining the legend image). To see how the image will look in the legend, set the Preview Display to Detail.

Use the Text tool to add static and/or dynamic text objects to the layout. From the Object Info palette, specify the appearance of the text; see Formatting text.

Static text simply shows the text object in each cell.

Dynamic text shows data from the object in the image (for example, the window ID) in each cell, in place of the text object. To create dynamic text, select the text object and click Use dynamic text from the Object Info palette. Then click Define Graphic Legend Field to open the Define Dynamic Text dialog box.

Click to show/hide the parameters.Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter

Description

Field Label

Enter text to display for this field in the graphic legend layout

Field Definition

 

Current Field Definition

Variables are placed in this field when you specify a data source and click Add to Definition. The definition can include multiple data sources, static text or punctuation, and simple arithmetic operators. This field definition works the same way as the definition in the Define Tag Field dialog box for data tags; see Creating data tag styles.

Add to Definition / Replace Current Definition

After you select the details for a data source, these buttons add to or replace the variables in the Current Field Definition window

Value Display

 

Show single value

Shows a single value for the field in the legend; if there are multiple values for the field, select Sum values to display their sum

Show multiple values

Shows multiple values for the field in the legend, separated by the Separator you specify; select Only show unique values to exclude repeat values

Add 2D geometry such as arcs, circles, and lines to the layout, if desired.

To add an image to the layout, duplicate the default image placeholder, and then place the new image and define it as desired.

To adjust the margin between the cell contents and the cell frame, select the frame and edit the margins in the Object Info palette. The frame cannot be deleted from the layout.

Use the layout constraints on the Object Info palette to control the positions of the image, text, and 2D objects within the cell. The options available depend on the type of object.

Click to show/hide the constraints.Click to show/hide the constraints.

Constraint

Description

Use auto constraints

Constrains the distance between the selected object and other constrained objects

Constrain object distance from boundary

Constrains the distance of the selected object from the left, right, top, and bottom cell boundary.

For 2D graphic objects, deselect the Fix width or Fix height option to scale the object horizontally or vertically to fit the bounding box when necessary.

When you’re done editing the layout, click Exit Graphic Legend Cell Layout.

If desired, change the legend's fill and pen attributes from the Attributes palette.

Editing the title layout

If the legend has the Display title option enabled, edit the title layout as desired. The layout must include the title frame and the Legend Title text field.

Select a legend, and from the Object Info palette, click Edit Title Layout. For a styled legend, see Editing plug-in object styles. The title layout editing window opens.

Alternatively, right-click the legend and select Edit Title Layout.

As described in Editing the cell layout, you can add text and 2D geometry objects and set constraints for them. For example, add a filled rectangle to give the title frame a contrasting color.

To adjust the margin between the title contents and the title frame, select the frame and edit the margin in the Object Info palette. The frame cannot be deleted from the layout.

When you’re done editing the layout, click Exit Graphic Legend Title Layout.

Graphic legends

 

Was this page helpful?